One More Night
by auroracormier
Summary: Mid season three time frame. Scott takes the lead and does what every decent Cophine shipper would do...


9:03 PM

As he wrapped his scarf around his neck, Scott subtly took another look around and sighed to himself quietly. He wasn't certainly sure of the rightness – or, for that matter, the wrongness – of his decision but he was well aware that the situation had to be dealt with one way or another. It took him every ounce of dedication to begin his plan. Starting with channelling all the cool he had left in him, he took a quick stroll around as if he was searching for his belongings and swiped the pass cards off the table unnoticed. He gathered the two rectangle objects in his hand and quickly sunk them in his pocket, already sweating at the thought of possibly getting interrupted and busted before he could carry out the entire action plan. It was a new found courage that urged him to take the initiative and the source of that courage came from his annoyance with the tension filled atmosphere. Every snarky comment just fueled his intentions and it was time to make the move.

"Okay Scotty, I'm ready." Cosima said as she grasped on the strap of her bag and shot a grin at him, her expression momentarily discouraging him. However the look on Delphine's face across the room quickly bringing his motives into focus again.

"Actually… uhm. I've got something to say." He started, nervously stuttering mid sentence and mentally supporting himself. "You're not coming with me."

"Wait… what?" Cosima asked, furrowing her brows slightly in her confusion.

"I… Okay, listen, this is getting unbearable. I can't do this any longer!" He burst with the exclamation, surprised at how easy it was to finally get it out. "I'm constantly standing in crossfire, it's not healthy, it's… it's making every day miserable!" Blurting out the words, he got a bit carried away as he continued on with his eyes darting from the blonde to the brunette and back. "We're trying to cure you, Cosima. We're trying to cure all of you and save lives, literally. I'm done listening to who betrayed who and who's having a heartbreak and who's 'totally over the other', I'm not here to be the child of the divorce!"

And from that point, there was no stopping. No matter the absolutely shocked look on their faces, Scott had lost all patience and rest assured it wasn't a common occurrence. "You're gonna have to work this out, I don't care how but I'm not spending another day in here if you keep acting like this, it's depressing." He shrugged, starting to lose his confidence alarmingly fast as he got his frustration out of his system. It was now or never and he was going with it. "So you two are going to stay here and talk this out, I'm sure you'll calm down eventually. Just… please don't hurt each other?"

"What are you talking about?" Cosima asked, still absolutely clueless and stunned by Scott's outburst.

"I'm talking about this." Scott said as he pulled the pass cards from his pocket and held them up while reaching for the door handle.

That was when Delphine stood from her seat with eyes wide open, taking a few steps towards the two with a meaningful look on her face. "You can't be serious…" She started, biting on the end of her sentence as Scott slipped through the door. "Merde! Cosima, the door, open it, now!" She spat out as she rushed to the door herself, leaving Cosima still completely puzzled. The blonde grasped on the handle just as Scott swiped the wrong card at the entrance for the third time. "Damn it!" Delphine shouted as she jerked the handle but the door remained still. "Scott Schmidt, you have two seconds to open this door!"

"What's all the fuss about?" The brunette asked eventually. "Just open the door."

"Scott! I'm your boss!" Delphine spoke again, now pulling every possible card in her last miserable attempt. "I will fire your ass if you don't open it right now!"

"I'm sorry." Scott said, his voice merely seeping through the crack under the door. "You're going to thank me later."

"Alright, cut the shit, what is he talking about?" Cosima raised her voice in annoyance, looking at the blonde with a piercing gaze.

"He locked us in here!" She replied with an equally tense tone, not even bothering to look at the other woman. "Scott! Scott!" She banged on the door with her fist once, hissing a little. "I swear to you…"

"Wait, is this for real?! What do you mean he locked us in?! Scott?!"

"I'll be back in the morning in time, you'll be fine. Work it out!" And as the barely audible noise of footsteps made his disappearance obvious, Delphine had let her fury show.

 _"I can't fucking believe you!"_ She shouted in French, kicking the door in her anger and soon regretting the decision as her toes began to throb inside the boot.

"Delphine… this is a joke, right? We're not stuck here, right? Why won't the door open?" Cosima started, staring at the blonde completely mortified.

The blonde sighed again, closing her eyes for several seconds and taking a deep breath before her gaze met the brunette's. Once again, her heart ached painfully but the way she pursed her lips together gave nothing but her annoyance away. "Because unlike someone who doesn't give a shit about staying informed, he most likely read the file on security cautions. The door won't open, he activated the urgency lock." Delphine explained tonelessly, pacing away from the door and to the couch. She fell down to the furniture and buried her face in her hands, her mind spinning with ways to solve the situation.

"The emergency what? Is that for real?"

"Yes. It is for real. And you'd know that if you listened to me once in your life, for a change." She hissed, a sense of guilt about her hostility making her want to clear things for the brunette. "He got an unauthorized pass card and swiped it thrice. After the third attempt the system locks the door, it won't open. This is… among others, a precaution to keep people from accessing the contents of this lab if they're not allowed to access it."

Cosima listened with eyes narrowed, the realization slowly dawning on her. "So… okay, it's locked. And he has our pass cards?"

"Which we could use to unlock it from inside…"

"Why not just call security?" The brunette proposed with a shrug.

"It would be useless, they don't have access to this wing, you wanted a high priority lab and we gave it to you. It's impenetrable without our cards."

"But… that's bullshit! What if this happens and there's a fire? We die?!"

At last, that made Delphine look back up at her ex girlfriend with a blank expression on her face. "No… there's an emergency protocol." She admitted with a bitter tone, making Cosima scoff instantly.

"Then what are you waiting for?! I have better things to do than to watch you kicking doors."

Although the comment didn't visibly taunt the brunette, her tone was full of defiance. "Yeah, how come I haven't thought about that? Look Cosima, it's called emergency for a reason. Scott knew what he was doing, I bet he read the entire pile of those documents. If I call the code and there's no actual emergency, that will be trouble. I'm not risking that. And even if I did, I'd have to write a report and I don't think Topside would be delighted to hear that I rang the catastrophe bell because I wanted to escape 324B21." She laid the words with lethal edge, sarcastically, deliberately choosing the tag number to address Cosima.

It did the damage that Delphine was aiming for, the brunette squirmed in place and adjusted her bracelets on her wrist, clearly trying to hold back a heavy comeback for the sake of finding a way to deal with the problem. "Okay, whatever. So what you're saying is…"

"I'm saying that if unless Scott changes his mind and comes back, we're in here until the morning." The blonde stated the summary of their discussion with a cold tone, her eyes – for once – locked with Cosima's for longer than just a stolen second.

There was silence, for a while. It took almost a full minute for both parties to completely acknowledge the weight of that move. And when Cosima progressed the full set of information, her face turned from mildly concerned to white as snow. "Son of a bitch!"

10:07 PM

"Could you please turn down the volume? It's annoying." Delphine sighed, looking up from the paperwork and at Cosima. Cosima, who got comfortable in her armchair with her feet propped up on the table, poking at her phone screen and playing with some silly game that made the most nerve wrecking sounds at every gesture.

"You know what's annoying? Being held hostage overnight." The brunette replied without bothering to even as much as glance at Delphine.

"Well, you're not wrong…" The blonde replied with a sarcastic tone, focusing her attention back on the reports but only for a second, just until Cosima tapped on the "Retry" button and the music continued on with the same ridiculous symphony.

 _When it's cold outside, am I here in vain? Hold on to the night, there will be no shame. Always, I wanna be with you, and make believe with you and live in harmony, harmony, oh love…_

"What the hell is that game?!" Delphine burst with one frustrated scoff, turning around in her seat to have a better view at Cosima's phone screen.

"It's Robot Unicorn Attack, like the best game ever? What now, they don't have it in Europe?" The brunette snorted a little as she kept tapping on her screen, leaving the other woman with eyes narrowed.

"I hope your battery dies."

"Oh my god, that's so mean!" Cosima blurted out with a truly offended expression, finally tearing her gaze away from the screen and locking eyes with the blonde. "Go choke on a baguette!"

There was silence, for a while. Then they both returned to their activities without saying another word, a slight smile hiding on both faces.

11:15 PM

"This was the last one…" Delphine mumbled quietly, more just to herself than to anyone else as her eyes settled on the pile of signed documents. Her hand was hurting from writing and signing for hours and she was slowly starting to panic at the realization that she had no more actual work left to distract herself with.

Cosima, on the other hand, was busy building a house of cards. The blonde watched her attempts for a while, then stood from her chair and took a quick stroll around the lab without saying a word.

"You're going for a jogging?" The brunette muttered with her attention – in theory – fixated on the cards. Her quick side eye at Delphine's backside as the blonde passed her, however, seemed to loosen her focus.

"Hilarious. I can't feel my legs." Delphine replied with a casual tone, finishing her circle with a sigh.

"Sucks to be you." Cosima said, trying to pull back in time but defeating her efforts with one sneeze. She watched the cards collapse and banged on the table tensely. "Are you kidding me?!"

"I'm going to set his Dungeons and Dragons box on fire." Delphine mused to herself absent-mindedly.

"Good luck with that." That was all Cosima said in return, preoccupied with rebuilding the masterpiece.

As they seemed to approach another dead end, the blonde had let out yet another sigh and shrugged to herself. That was when her stomach growled loudly and she swallowed hard, taking a step towards the fridge but quickly made to stop at Cosima's exclamation.

"You're not going for the last piece of brownie, are you?"

"Well…" Delphine started, looking at the brunette, then the fridge and back at her. They established the eye contact and both stood still for a few seconds. Just in the right moment, both launched themselves towards the tiny piece of furniture and sprinted for the prize. Rest assured Delphine quickly grabbed the container from the top of the fridge and held it up over her head. "I earned this, I was working and you were playing with robot unicorns!"

"I'm dying!"

"Oh come on…" The blonde spat out, momentarily losing focus and letting her arm fall back down.

There was silence, for a while. Then Cosima snatched the brownie and ran off into the bathroom, locking the door and leaving a furious French scientist behind.

12:23 AM

"What if we climbed out the window?"

"If you have a death wish." Delphine replied with a roll of her eyes, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling.

"What if we blew up the door somehow?"

"Let me just grab that stick of C-4 and SWAT outfit from my purse."

"Can't you call someone?"

"Of course I can! I just really want to _not_ go home."

"What if you stopped taking up all the space on the couch? This chair isn't for sleeping." Cosima squirmed in her seat uncomfortably.

"That's impressive considering how you nap through the day in it while you're supposed to be working." Delphine replied, twirling some of her hair around her finger and then sighing again.

"But I'm dying!"

"Hell no!" The blonde snapped, propping herself up and shooting a lethal glare at the brunette. "You got the brownie, you're not getting the couch!"

"What if…" Cosima started, looking back at her ex girlfriend with a much more gentle expression. "…we shared the couch?" Quickly trying to make at least an ounce of sense, she sunk her hand in her pocket and held up a chocolate bar. "You can have this if I can have the left side."

There was silence, for a while. Then Delphine sighed and sat up, pulling her legs to her chest and nodding her head at empty space on the furniture's left side.

1:19 AM

"I swear, everyone was dancing, even Kira." Cosima chuckled, settled on the left side of the couch with her back against the armrest. Delphine mirrored her position and the grin, amused at the descriptive commentary on a clone dance party. "Helena was insane, she had some mad moves, I tell you."

"Oh, I bet." The blonde giggled, gazing at the brunette with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You should've seen it!" The tiny scientist added, her laughter slowly dying out at the realization and she wasn't the only one. All of a sudden, the fits of laughter had come to a silent end.

"I wish I could've seen it." Delphine breathed out after a long pause, looking away from Cosima and picking at the fabric of her pullover. "I wish things were different." Maybe it was the effect of the long night and the exhaustion, or maybe she'd reached her limit. She just simply couldn't possibly keep the confession in any longer.

Cosima's expression softened, unseen by the blonde. She swallowed hard, unseen by the blonde. "What do you mean, Delphine?" The question fell from her lips seemingly effortlessly, when in reality it was the hardest question her mind had ever composed.

And that was when Delphine looked back at Cosima, opening her mouth but not finding the proper way to put her thoughts. There was so much she wanted to say, so awfully much she wanted the brunette to know. The mere thought of finally letting go of that burden made her heart beat faster, although it wasn't as much of a doping as looking into Cosima's eyes. "Sometimes you-"

The brunette's phone interrupted Delphine mid sentence as it went off and Cosima bit on her bottom lip, fixing the device from her pocket and taking a look at the screen. The blonde didn't have to hear her say it to know who was the caller and instantly, she stood from the couch. "I'm just…" The other woman looked up from the phone, a thousand different emotions showing in just one look. Afraid of the stinging of her tears, Delphine quickly turned around and hurried off towards the tiny bathroom, slipping through the door and locking it closed. The call went to voicemail and Cosima dropped a swear under her breath.

There was silence, for a while. Then the brunette took a deep sigh and hit the call button, keeping her voice quiet as she began explaining her reasons of not showing up at her girlfriend's that night.

2:33 AM

Delphine put her arms around her own form and pulled her lab coat closed tighter, shuddering a little in her seat. "I'm going to have to make some adjustments to the heating plan of this lab…"

"It's not even that cold!" Cosima scoffed as her digits grazed over the etched bronze surface of her bracelets.

"It is for me! Scott just had to choose the coldest night for this… I'm so going to burn his box of stupid game."

"You've said that already." The brunette pointed it out, furrowing her brows as her eyes scanned Delphine's gestures. "Are you really this cold?"

"No, I just like to pretend I am for no reason. And I left my stupid coat at the stupid front desk… I was only supposed to be here for a few hours!" She whined quietly, sighing once again.

Cosima kept silent, just sitting on her side of the couch and trying to settle the debate inside her mind. Everything but her heart urged her to get up and get away, to lock herself up in the bathroom and sleep on the toilet for all she cared. But that one, one stupid little voice in the back of her mind just wouldn't quit. She put the back of her hand against her forehead and frowned to herself, then mimicking Delphine's sigh. "Well, I guess I could at least make this fever useful…" And with that, she shifted closer to the blonde and snuggled up to her body, putting her arms around her. The other woman froze in place, blinking a few times and then glancing over at Cosima with a bewildered look on her face. "Stop looking at me like this, your bitching at the cold was so annoying."

There was silence, for a while. Then Delphine eased in the embrace and closed her eyes, choosing to ignore her heart slamming at her ribcage so violently.

3:51 AM

They were lying on the couch, Delphine stretched out fully and Cosima lying atop, with her back against the blonde's chest. She was so tiny, her weight felt like a piece of feather. The dreadlocked scientist took the other woman's hand and laced their fingers together, then letting go and repeating the process to pass time. The peace and the closeness both were surreal but somehow neither of them had the strength to keep their distance anymore. There was nowhere to run to. They couldn't throw their most spiteful thoughts at each other and then call it a day. They were running low on options and two beaten worn hearts were bound to reconcile under such circumstances, even if only for the moment.

"I don't love her." Cosima blurted out, immediately regretting her words as she felt Delphine squirm under her form.

The blonde was trying her best to keep her voice from giving away just how hurt she was. "Who?"

"Don't play stupid, Delphine. You're the smartest person I've ever met. I know you know." The brunette replied immediately, her fingers now clutching on the blonde's hand as she pulled herself up and twisted her body just enough to look into her eyes. "She's nice. I could love her, one day." Her lips trembled as she halted, taking a deep breath. "But I don't want to fall out of love w-"

"Stop, please." Delphine interrupted her with a faint voice, then swallowing hard and shaking her head with her lips pressed together. "I don't want to hear you say that."

"WHY not?!" Cosima snapped, letting go of the blonde's hand and shifting backwards, putting her knees between Delphine's legs and sitting up. She looked straight into her eyes with an annoyed look on her face. "What's your reason, huh? I know you feel the same way, I know it's not because you don't love me, tell me what is your reason!"

"I gave you the re-"

"No, you gave me bullshit! After everything we've been through you dismiss me without giving me the respect of at least having a good reason!"

"Cosima…" Delphine started, pushing herself up and distancing herself if only just an inch. "There's nothing I can say. It's better this way."

"For who?! Me?! You?! Scott?! Scott's cat?! What is the beneficial aspect of…" Her hands motioned around in the air as she heatedly questioned the blonde. "…this?!" She gestured at themselves, her tone full of anger but not for the same reasons as in previous cases. She was angry at herself, and at Delphine too, angry at the situation and angry at the world for having to work in a way where the sole purpose seemed to be keeping them away from each other. "I know you're suffering!" She exclaimed, reaching for the blonde's hand again. "We're suffering…" She pouted, her voice cracking and turning hoarse as she was holding back the salty drops which were threatening to fall from her eyes. "The least I deserve is…" Tears rolled down her cheeks hungrily, a quiet sob running through her body as Delphine's expression turned completely mortified.

"No, no, shh, don't talk…" She mumbled as she attempted to keep her composure, using her hold on Cosima's hand to pull her back down and into her arms. "Don't say a word." She breathed out as her fingertips grazed over the fabric of Cosima's shirt, stroking her back slowly. "I think we should just sleep." She blurted out, grasping on every last remaining fiber of her self control to avoid breaking down the exact same way the brunette had. _"Close your eyes, my love. Rest your heart now. I'll keep your dreams safe."_ She muttered quietly in French, continuing the murmurs as Cosima's breathing regulated and the tension had slowly dissipated from her body. _"I feel the same way, you know that. All I want is you and you to be well. I'm doing everything I can."_ As Cosima seemed to be slipping into a rather unconscious stage of slowly falling asleep, the blonde had gotten more brave with her foreignly put confessions. _"You won't leave my heart. You turned my world upside down, I'm responsible for you now. I love you."_ Little did she know that the brunette was still listening, and for one she'd been improving her French skills just enough.

There was silence, for a while. Then suddenly both eyes were closed.

7:30 AM

A single beep tore the silence away as Scott activated the locks and opened the door with the according pass card, now feeling a lot more terrified than the night before. He quietly said a prayer as he slowly pushed the door, relieved that neither woman were rushing to rip it open and at first glance he couldn't see any sign of blood either. Soon his eyes had found the two familiar bodies molded together on the couch and at instant a goofy grin showed on his face. He quietly slipped inside with an enormous amount of relief throbbing in his heart. Holding two cups of coffee he paced to the couch and loudly cleared his throat, trying to wipe his proud grin from his face and failing miserably.

Delphine's eyes fluttered open and it took her a few seconds to remember the happenings of her hectic night. As soon as her mind began to function, however, she was immediately picking the cluster of various emotions trying to overpower her mind. Silently, she looked up at Scott with a very sound asleep Cosima on top of her and opened her mouth to form the words. Words which were… not suitable for minor ears.

"No need to be vulgar, I'm already terrified of your wrath." Scott admitted with a whisper, then placed the coffee down on the ground and looked back at the blonde with a grin. "Should I leave?"

At the question the blonde looked away, then sighed, then looked down at Cosima, seeing not much other than the brunette's dreads scattered over her chest. She took a moment to think, her heart quickly getting heavy at a handful of ideas. She carefully freed her hand from Cosima's hold and gestured the numbers for Scott. "Work starts at eight." She mouthed without making a sound, then pointed at the door.

"Got it, boss." He chuckled now not even slightly nervous, yet again earning himself a silent but surely offending swear word. "Gosh, and you kiss her with that mouth? Oh, right, middle finger me, real mature…"


End file.
